The Brightest Skies are the Darkest
by The Mew in a Chair
Summary: Chapter 2 is up. AU, OC, R&R. After living in an orphanage her whole life keeping her locked out from the majority of the world, she finally breaks loose and decides to become a Pokemon Trainer to help aid her in her search for a meaning to live. On her journey she will make many new friends, People and Pokemon alike, and perhaps discover the mysteries of her family she never knew
1. Prologue

**_Hi everyone. Welcome to my new project. I've had this in mind for a while to have a continuum set separately from the anime. This world of Pokemon is big and my favorite thing about it is how it always keeps adding more and more things that make the series incredible and honestly Gen 6 has done wonders for the series to make it feel new again._**

 ** _The story below won't have a single anime character and will take place in a new region that I have personally created. I hope every one of you enjoys this story. I know I still have Aurora Sapphirus going on at the same time as this fic but I would like to try balancing the two and possibly finishing one of them this year. In the mean time I hope all of you enjoy this fic and everything I have to offer you._**

 ** _-Mew in a Chair_**

 **…**

 **The Brightest Skies are the Darkest**

 **By Mew in a Chair**

 **…**

 **Chapter 1**

 **The Meeting of Partners – The one called Sayo**

 **…**

"Cher!" A small pink Pokemon felt herself falling as it slipped off of the branch she was holding onto, making a loud thud as she crashed against the grass below her. A few leaves ripped themselves loose from the branch as it shook and fell on top of her. The Pokemon had a small pink ball attached to her head by a small green stem, a Cherubi. She rolled over and looked sadly at what she had been trying to obtain in the tree.

On the highest part of the trunk was a spot of clear sweet smelling liquid, stuck to the tree, shining golden in the light as a small drop of it dripped from the spot and fell onto Cherubi's face. The Pokemon's small tongue darted out of its mouth and licked the substance, smiling at the sweet taste of the honey. The Cherry Pokemon looked up at the splotch of Honey.

Next to it was another Pokemon, similar to a piece of golden piece of honeycomb with a red mark on its head and bee-like wings. On each of its notches of its body was a small face, each of which was glaring at the intruder who tried to pilfer its golden treasure.

"Combee!" The Tiny Bee Pokemon scowled as it buzzed down to Cherubi. She gasped and turned, bouncing away quickly and sadly before looking back at the tree and sighing.

Cherubi had a problem. She loved Honey, simple as that. However as of recently she didn't have a way to get any without possibly getting injured. Usually the forest that she lived in was all for sharing its bountiful golden load with its residents but recently the Combee had stopped their generosity, leaving Cherubi to munch on berries, which just didn't taste the same as her usual favorite snack.

The Cherry Pokemon stopped in front of a bush, filled with red berries and bit one off of one of the tiny sticks it called branches, munching on it with another sigh. Everything had been going great so far for it. She lived in the forest eating and making friends with some of the other smaller, weaker Pokemon, which was a life she was perfectly content living, but lately the atmosphere of the forest had changed. Pokemon were hiding a lot more and not being as active or kind as they usually were.

Cherubi scowled as she knew why the issue was persisting. It was the bug types. She had never liked the usually creepy crawly Pokemon, being weak to them and all but there was one group of bug types in the forest that she never could stand. The Spinarak. Those pesky green spiders always leaving their strings everywhere in the forest and causing some of the more aggressive Pokemon to trip and go on mini rampages.

There was one Spinarak in particular that Cherubi was ok with. He actually had a problem where he couldn't produce the same strong silk that his fellow String Spitters could, which made him not only less liable, but actually very shy. He kept away from his pack normally since he always felt that he couldn't keep up with them, which honestly was why Cherubi liked him. She considered herself sort of a lone wolf, actually being the only one of her kind in the entire forest, so hanging out with other Pokemon that were usually on their own appealed to it.

Cherubi finished her snack, making sure to leave several Berries for other Pokemon to have to themselves. She bounced off along the path to the deeper parts of the forest. Usually she stuck to the more outward parts of her home where the trees weren't very dense and so she could get to the sun easily. The little ball on her head stored sunlight that she could convert to energy. She used it feed herself in case it ever came to a lack of food.

Deeper into the forest was a grotto, with a small abandoned stone well. She bounced along, avoiding some of the thicker tree trunk roots and arrived at a small clearing that housed her favorite watering hole. She hopped up past one of the broken stones from the well and took a sip from the water, swishing it around and looking through the canopy at the dim light trying to leak through the thick leafy roof of the forest.

Suddenly a small slash of water coated Cherubi's face. She shook herself and looked at the cause of the splash in the normally serene pool of water. To her shock, it wasn't a Pokemon, but a human, face buried in the clear liquid, taking a long drink.

Cherubi had seen about one or two humans in her life. They very rarely seemed to venture through this particular forest. There wasn't really much to see besides occasional wild Pokemon that could be found in nearly every other habitat that a human would venture through. This was the first time however that she had been within two feet of one.

It was a girl, with long purple hair which glistened in the dim light of the sun. It had a few sticks and leaves caught in it, hinting that she had been caught in the foliage of the forest a few times. Her arms were bruised in a few spots, also giving Cherubi the impression that she had tripped a multitude of times. She was dressed in a white halter with a purple vest overtop of it. Her legs were coated in skid marks and bruises similar to her arms. The skin of her body was peach colored and didn't look too out of the ordinary. She finally lifted her head out of the water and gasped for air, simultaneously while swallowing the fluids she had drank. Her eyes were the same shade of purple in her hair.

"Oh man…thank Arceus I found a spring to drink from," The girl said as she stumbled back on her rear end, falling all the way down and letting her arms and legs spread out in the grass. She shut her eyes and sucked in air before dispelling it in a deep breath, her chest rising up and down as she did so "Ah…but…I don't know where I am now…"

Cherubi hopped over to the girl, curiosity overwhelming her. The human didn't seem armed. In fact, she didn't seem to have anything on her except the clothes on her back. She remembered them usually carrying large packs on their backs full of supplies, likely to help keep them alive since humans couldn't just use attacks or moves like Pokemon could to assist them in their daily endeavors.

"Cher…Cherubi! Cher!" She chirped as she approached the girl's face, standing over it. The girl turned her head and noticed the Cherry Pokemon, giving it a warm smile.

"Why hello there…" She said as she sat up, taking Cherubi aback a bit. She forgot how big humans were compared to her "You're um…Cherubi I assume? That's the name you just said so…"

The small pink Pokemon's eyes rolled at the BRILLIANT deduction of the human. Nonetheless, she didn't seem particularly dangerous so she nodded and looked up at her.

"Well glad to meet you! My name's Sayo. I'm um…I hope I didn't interrupt your drink or anything I haven't had anything to eat or drink in a while…I've gotten a bit lost is all" The girl introduced with a blush and a sheepish grin, scratching the back of her head.

Cherubi looked confused at her. She didn't seem like a Pokemon Trainer, what with the lack of Pokeballs and a knapsack. Every Pokemon knew that they could possibly be captured and used to battle for sport. Most enjoyed it honestly since they could become stronger and a lot of humans were very understanding and willing to work along with them. Word of Pokemon trainers always spread through grapevines of the billions of Pokemon that existed on earth. The thought of going on adventures honestly did appeal to Cherubi, since she had always just done her thing around the forest and wandered aimlessly.

"Um…Hey you wouldn't happen to know the way to town would you? I'm kind of in a hurry and need to get going…" Sayo said as she tried to stand, but suddenly fell back down onto one of her knees. Cherubi gasped and looked at the human, seeing her violet locks fall over her face as she clutched her ankle "Agh…Damnit…Don't mind it…It's not that bad I just tripped earlier is all…"

Cherubi had an idea. She couldn't just leave the human here but she was incapable of human speech.

"Cher!" She motioned as she moved the ball attached to her head. She bounced away as Sayo leaned back onto the well, clutching her ankle.

It had been a pretty unfortunate day. She had been on the move and had gotten lost in the forest. Cherubi's assumption was right about her. Sayo was not a Pokemon Trainer. She was just a wanderer as she liked to call herself at the moment who was on her way to town to find a place to stay for a while. Coming up on the forest, she had found herself out of snacks and thirsty, and on top of it all, getting her foot snagged on a random string of silk and tripping over a tree root. Now the only Pokemon that had approached her had bounced off to who knew where.

She sighed and closed her eyes as she sat against the stones, the cold rocks digging slightly into her vest as she rested, still clutching her one ankle with both hands as she waited.

"Bi! Cheru!" Sayo's eyes quickly opened and she turned her head. Cherubi had come back, and behind her was a Spinarak, a rather shy looking one judging by his slower pace and unwillingness to look ahead. Cherubi happily bounced up to Sayo and motioned with her stem at Sayo's ankle. Spinarak walked up and looked at it before slowly spitting out a small string of silk onto her leg, wrapping it slowly in a flimsy but serviceable brace.

"You came back to help me?" She said, surprised, looking at the Spinarak, looking away sheepishly before the human patted it on the head nicely, smiling warmly at it as the pain in her ankle was eased slightly by the makeshift cast. Sayo stood up, stumbling a bit but was able to at least keep her balance.

Cherubi looked happily at the human and turned to Spinarak, nodding as they both looked up at Sayo.

"Thank you so much Cherubi! And you too Spinarak!" She said before looking around the grotto "Um I hope it isn't too much trouble but…Do you two think you can show me the way out of here? I need to get to any nearby town just so I can rest up…I've been on the move for the past few days and I'm exhausted…"

Cherubi looked a bit confused. This human had been moving on her own without any Pokemon? That sounded rather dangerous. What if she had gotten attacked or something? Nonetheless, she motioned to Spinarak and bounced in a direction she knew led out of the forest, near the edge. There was a problem however. Cherubi knew that Vespiquen's hive was past that section and the path was likely coated in string from the Spinarak Clan.

Sayo followed the two Pokemon slowly and steadily, making sure to not put too much strain on her ankle as she moved but also making sure she could move at a pace that wasn't at the speed of molasses. Spinarak kept moving forward, ahead of the two, but Cherubi kept curiously looking back at the injured human she had encountered.

"Cher! Cheru!" She said, trying to communicate the direction to Sayo, but to no avail. She shook her head and continued following the Bug and Grass types as they approached a clearing in the forest. Cherubi gasped as she was the first to bound ahead, breaking through a bush to see a horrifying sight.

First of all, there were tons of Bug type Pokemon. More than she had ever seen in one spot before, and she visited the hive a lot. There was at least forty Spinarak crawling all over the clearing, on the trees and in the bushes, as well as on the ground. Silk was being spun from their mouths as the once grassy plain was slowly converted to white with all the string. Spinarak and Sayo hobbled through and gasped as they noticed in the middle of the clearing something else was occurring.

The sunlight was much brighter in this area of the forest, with the lack of trees covering the sky, allowing for much easier vision of the large lump in the center of the incredible web. It was a hoard of Combee, like the one from before but they were trapped. A group of about 30 of them were clustered together, tightly bound by the threads. They all looked in terror at their captors, who continued to spin string around the area.

"Oh my…What's going on here!?" Sayo gasped as she knelt in the bush, being careful so as not to put too much pressure on her injured ankle. Cherubi looked worried as Spinarak looked at its friends and back at Cherubi and Sayo.

"Spina…" It shuddered "Spina! Rak! Spinarak!"

Cherubi gasped and looked worriedly at the Combee. Sayo didn't realize it but what Spinarak had relayed to Cherubi was a plan that his clan had been working on for a while. Recently, the Combee and Spinarak had been fighting amongst each other for control of the forest, which explained the lack of honey being spread amongst the inhabitants. The fighting had simply just left the Combee unable to produce as much of their sweet snack and now it seemed as if the Spinarak were ready to strike them down.

"Oh no…There has to be something we can do right? Can't you cut the strings or something?" Sayo asks, looking at Cherubi. She shuddered thinking of what would happen if they were caught.

"Spina!" the String Spit Pokemon gasps as it points with one of its legs through a crack in the string. The three of them look out of it and gasp. Above the cocoon in the middle were two more Pokemon, both seemingly larger versions of the two types of bug Pokemon.

The first was a very large and imposing bee Pokemon with one head and a honeycomb for a body, with two skinny arms and red eyes. She hissed at her opponent, a much larger spider Pokemon with a blood red body and black markings. Its legs were long and possessed purple and yellow stripes across them. It was hanging above the cocoon on a single thread from one of the trees.

The Bee, a Vespiquen, struck first. She lifted her body and suddenly a volley of poisonous needles launched from the combs that made up the base of her. The evolved Spinarak, Ariados, was quick, suddenly snapping the string it hung from and effortlessly dodging the initial blow. The Spinarak stopped crawling and all fired a barrage of strings from the spots they were perched on at Vespiquen. The Combee all shrieked in terror as hell on earth fired down.

"Oh no!" Sayo gasped as the white threads coated Vespiquen, locking her in place. Ariados suddenly leapt up, a dark energy surrounding one of its legs, a Sucker Punch attack. The leg moved closer and closer to the now in capitated queen bee. The reaction was instantaneous. A claw suddenly ripped the threads to shreds as Vespiquen burst free, cutting against Ariados's strike with a Slash attack.

Ariados was knocked to the ground, rolling before catching itself on a tree. Its rear end lifted and suddenly a volley of vicious poison needles of its own. Vespiquen dove past them and hissed as it reared its claw back for another strike at the larger spider. The Spinarak around Ariados fled in terror as Vespiquen made a swipe at Ariados, quickly being dodged as it dove off of the tree. Vespiquen's attack did end up striking the branch it had been latched onto, severing it and sending it sailing to the ground with a crash.

"We have to do something! Cherubi…Do you know like um…um…Razor Leaf or something?" Sayo suggested "We have to cut those Combee free!"

Cherubi looked at Sayo with a look of utter terror. Was she suicidal? Getting between two of the strongest Pokemon in the forest while they were in the midst of combat was a recipe to get them injured or worse yet, killed.

Ariados suddenly vanished in a quick motion. A blur of red travelling along the threads as Vespiquen looked quickly around trying to pin down the location of her opponent, but was unable to react quick enough as Ariados reappeared behind her and stabbed her wings with one of its legs. The queen fell into the cocoon with a crash, being cushioned lightly by her fellow Combee before slowly getting up. Ariados vanished again, slamming into her for a second time and knocking her off the pile to the ground.

Cherubi began to look worried. Vespiquen was incredibly strong when she was in the air but now she was at Ariados's mercy. Spinarak shuddered and looked at Cherubi. The pink Cherry Pokemon gulped and jumped up. Sayo gasped as a set of multicolored leaves fired out of the stem as she fell onto the bed of strings, ripping through them like razors. The leaves sliced right past Ariados and Vespiquen's face and through the strings binding the Combee Cocoon. Almost 80 Pokemon stared at the direction of where the attack had come from. Cherubi gulped as Sayo and Spinarak stepped out of hiding.

"Um…Hey…I don't know whats going on but these two look really concerned…About everything going on here…Why are you all fighting can't we all just get along and share the forest?" Sayo said, trying to be a mediator. Spinarak cringed a little as Ariados turned its attention towards her, immediately firing a volley of poison needles from its backside.

"Yikes!" Sayo yelled as she ducked to the side, putting a large amount of strain on the cast. She gasped and bit her lip as she tumbled to the webbed ground. The Spinarak all looking a little shocked at their leader's aggression as Cherubi bounced over to Sayo. The Combee all angrily began to flap their wings harder, whipping up a strong wind, tearing the web to shreds almost instantaneously. The Spinarak all fell from the tree and glared at the Combee, whose eyes were beginning to glow red.

Cherubi's friendly Spinarak ducked behind the bush, crawling over to the fallen human and Cherry. Vespiquen glared at Ariados, clearly annoyed that it attacked an innocent bystander, and made a vicious slash with her claw at it. The spider leapt away as Sayo cringed, grabbing her ankle as she pulled herself to a sitting position "Come on…" She grunted "This is pointless…we need to keep moving…"

Spinarak and Cherubi nodded as they ducked down, walking along the edge of the clearing as both of the bugs traded blows. The Combee and Spinarak clashing with gusts of wind and shots of poison against one another. Stray shots occasionally glanced by them, barely grazing Sayo's larger body. Cherubi took cover behind her legs, unwilling to take the effective hits.

"Just a little more…" Sayo said nervously as they approached the oppiste end of the clearing, which had become a miniature warzone as the fighting continued.

Right as they reached the edge, Sayo felt a shot graze by her. Some of the Poison Sting attacks from Ariados had sniped her leg. She gasped and shrieked in pain and grabbed onto a tree trunk for support. Cherubi gasped as she nudged Sayo's good leg. The purple haired girl shook her head, trying to get the haze out of her mind as she stumbled forward, leaving the clearing behind. Spinarak looked sadly at the fighting as he followed them.

 **…**

Sayo stumbled out of the forest, cringing as she fell onto her stomach, having nearly lost all feeling in her leg. She looked up, her vision blurring as she noticed something in front of her. The forest had opened up onto the edge of a hilltop. Over the edge was a small town, with a road going through it. She felt herself fading from the shots she had taken in the leg.

"Great…just my luck…I can't even move…" She moaned as she looked behind her, watching Cherubi and Spinarak crawl out to greet her. They looked sadly at her damaged leg. Spinarak crawled over to the fallen girl's leg and grasped at one of the needles with its maw, and yanked it loose

"YOWCH!" Sayo shrieked as the needle popped loose. Spinarak moved and grabbed a second one and pulled it out. Cherubi frowned and bounced over to a bush, scanning it. She knew the forest pretty well and knew that Pecha Berries grew around the outer areas. Her eyes widened as she saw one hanging low on a bush and picked it off with her mouth.

"Ow…ow…ow…" The purple haired girl cried as Spinarak spun more string around Sayo's leg, putting it fully in a cast of white thread. She pulled herself up and sat on her rear, stretching her leg out as Cherubi bounced over to her, the berry still in her mouth. She looked up at Sayo and spit the berry out at her feet.

"Is this for me?" Sayo asked as she took it, looking at it with wide eyes before taking a nibble of the berry. She chewed it slowly before swallowing, and then tossing the remainder into her mouth, swallowing the remainder of the pink berry "Thank you so much…But now there's basically a war going on in your home…You both risked your lives to get me through there"

She smiled warmly at the two Pokemon. Spinarak scratched his head with one of his upper legs, nodding happily, glad he was able to be of assistance for once. Cherubi nodded and looked down at the town. There was no way Sayo was going to be able to get down there with her leg in such bad shape. The Pecha Berry would take effect quickly and hopefully soon return the feeling to it, but the sprain still remained.

"So what are you two gonna do?" Sayo said, noting the sun over the horizon beginning to set, tinting the entire sky with an orange and red glow, giving it the illusion of a blistering wildfire "It's probably really dangerous in there…Why don't you stay with me for a bit? Just…um…you know…I want some company…"

Her eyes filled with tears, suddenly leaking out as Sayo began to cry

"I'm so lonely!" She sobbed "You two were the first Pokemon or people to pay me any mind in days!"

Cherubi sat up against Sayo and nuzzled her waist, looking cheerfully up at the girl. She patted the pink cherry as Spinarak suddenly spit out a small amount of silk, making almost a pillow as it somewhat falls apart. Sayo takes the pile of string and puts it behind her head and looked at the two Pokemon.

"Ah…I just…I want to help them…Maybe in the morning when my leg feels better I can go down to town…" She muttered as Spinarak wordlessly skittered off into the bushes, choosing to be by himself for a while after witnessing his friends mindlessly attacking other residents of his home. Cherubi watched and nodded at him, understanding why he was unwilling to stick around currently before nudging Sayo slightly. She looked down at the Cherry Pokemon and noticed something had slipped from her pants pocket.

Cherubi noticed the small object as Sayo reached for it. It was a dusty ball. She had seen objects that had looked similar to it few times before but never really got a good look at one up close. It was a shrunken Pokeball. Sayo played with it in her fingers.

"My dad gave this to me a long time ago" She said, her voice filled with a somber tone as she wiped her face. She looked down at the grass type that had accompanied her since the grotto and held it up to her face "Look! It's a Pokeball! He told me that I was to use it to catch my very own friend one day…And become a great Pokemon trainer…before he vanished…"

Cherubi looked at the ball. Then back to Sayo. Was this human trying to become a Pokemon Trainer? Was that why she had come out here all by herself with no supplies? The recklessness of this girl astounded the Cherry Pokemon as she looked at the ball. She thought back to her routine. Every day there was just eating and prancing but was this it? Was Sayo coming to her a sign that it was time for a change?

"Cheru…Cherubi!" The grass type chirped at Sayo happily. The purple haired girl brushed the lock out of her eyes, allowing the branches and leaves to loosen from the ropes of hair and fall to the ground.

"Are you…Are you trying to tell me something?" She asked. Cherubi looked at the ball and shook before bouncing up happily "Do you want to come with me? Is that it!? Are you asking to become my Pokemon?!"

Cherubi nodded happily. She liked Sayo. She really did. She seemed like a well-meaning girl. Besides, she had said it herself. She was lonely. Cherubi didn't like seeing people or Pokemon upset so she figured why not. If she came with Sayo she could make lots of people happier on her very own adventure. The thought sounded too good to pass up.

Sayo fiddled with the ball between her pointer finger and thumb and pressed the button on the front, enlarging the ball to about the size of a baseball. She held it up to Cherubi's face as the dust washed off of it. Cherubi noticed the ball was pink with a yellow seal on it.

"It's a Heal Ball" Sayo explained "My dad gave it to me because it apparently makes the Pokemon it catches feel better when they go inside…So that way my partner would always be the most well rested. Since you know…The first Pokemon is always the most important one…Just by the virtue of being your first!"

Cherubi nodded and nudged its head against the Pokeball. Sayo gasped as it opened and red energy shot out, consuming Cherubi's body as it was converted to the same red energy. The ball sucked it back in quickly, before shutting and rocking in Sayo's outstretched hand. She watched it roll for several seconds before dropping it on the ground, waiting for the sign that the capture was complete.

With a small click, the ball locked shut. It was done. Cherubi was now owned by a human. And Sayo, was for all intents and purposes, the proud owner of her first Pokemon.

She was a Pokemon Trainer.

 **…**

 ** _Sayo: Oh no…they're still fighting…Cherubi we have to stop them before more Pokemon get hurt!_**

 ** _Cherubi: Cheru…Cherubi!_**

 ** _Sayo: Whats that? This might be over food? Honey you say? Where did your Spinarak friend go by the way? He has to be ok right? Watch out! They're attacking us now!_**

 **Next Time:**

 **Chapter 2**

 **The Sweet Treasure of the Forest! Sayo's Journey Begins!**


	2. Arc 1 Episode 1

**…**

 **Chapter 2**

 **The Sweet Treasure of the Forest! Sayo's Journey Begins!**

 **…**

The pain of taking several shots of Poison Sting was not nearly as bad as Sayo would have thought, the cast from Spinarak and Cherubi's quick thinking to feed her the Pecha Berry helped sooth the pain even faster than she expected. She was relieved when she woke up from her bed of leaves and silk that her leg was moving properly again. She carefully unwrapped the white strings and wiggled her leg, sighing.

"That's a nice sight to wake up" she exclaimed as she sat up straight, stretching it. She looked around for Cherubi. Her heart sank when she didn't see her anywhere, until her hand hit something next to her, something round. She picked up the object she had touched and realized what it was.

"Right…I caught Cherubi…She's mine now…" She recalled as she tossed the ball up into the air. It opened and a spray of bright energy erupted out of the now open ball, releasing its new inhabitant. Cherubi landed between Sayo's legs and looked up at her, yawning "Um…Good morning friend"

"Cheru!" Cherubi said as she shook her head and looked back at the nearby town and then back to the forest, concerned at the thought of the battle that was currently unfolding. Yesterday had been pretty bad but she couldn't imagine how the Pokemon were suffering after an entire night.

Now that she thought of it, Cherubi couldn't see Spinarak either, her eyes scanning the coasts of the forest exterior before resting back on Sayo's bright purple eyes. Her trainer sighed and got up, making sure to not lean too far onto her leg so as to not make it go back into shock.

"Um…I'm sorry Cherubi…I'm not really sure what to do now. I don't really want to leave your home like that but I don't really have any ideas" She said with a sigh as she looked down. Cherubi bounced up and landed square on her shoulder, nuzzling her head.

"Cher…" She said sadly as she used her ball to point towards the town at the bottom of the hill.

"Maybe we can get help there?" Sayo asked "Is that what you're trying to say?"

The Cherry Pokemon nodded. Sayo took the nod to heart and began the trek down the hill. From the shadows of one of the bushes, Spinarak shivered and slowly crawled after them

 **…**

The town was small and Sayo couldn't even find a sign to see the name of it. It was obviously some kind of farming town, as judged by the small fields of crops behind some of the houses, which were mostly made of wood and brick like old fashioned houses. There were many stalls with people selling vegetables and other goods. One building stuck out to Sayo. It was a large red one with a big roof and a Pokeball symbol on the front. She had never seen a real Pokemon Center before and it was to her, intimidating.

 _"Wow I bet there are strong Pokemon trainers getting lots of rest in there…"_ She shuddered, thinking of what kind of monstrous Pokemon existed. She had only seen a few in her lifetime at the orphanage. Small house Pokemon like Lillipup and Pidgey. The biggest Pokemon she had ever seen was a Fletchinder that was kept around for delivering mail to and from the people who ran it.

As she walked by, Cherubi nudged her shoulder, the ball on her body pointing like a finger towards one particular stall. Sayo raised an eye and studied it.

Seated at the stall was a single old man dressed in a fishing hat, and leather boots. His clothes were ragged and plain looking and his face was grizzled with a somber expression. On the stall were several empty jars, some of them dripping with what looked to be a remain of a liquid. Cherubi sniffed the air as they walked. She knew the scent.

It was honey!

As Sayo walked up to the stall, the old man looked up at her and covered his face with the fishing hat. Cherubi leapt off of Sayo's shoulder and sniffed the jar.

"Your Pokemon adores honey eh?" He said from under his hat as Sayo gasped.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Cherubi that's so rude…" She said as she reached down and picked Cherubi off of the stall, who was furiously licking the specks of golden fluid off of the sides of the jar.

"Oh it's no big deal. Did you catch that little thing from the forest up the hill?" The old man said as he took off his hat and used it to fan his face.

"Yeah I did…Just last night actually…I was on my way through the forest and she helped me get through it relatively safely, so I decided to catch her!" Sayo said as she looked down at her partner. The old man chuckled.

"Ah…well I would give her some honey if I could but unfortunately I'm plum out of luck" He sighed. Sayo looked at the empty jars "You see…normally…I go into the forest every few days or so and collect some of the honey that the Combee make. They make incredible honey that many humans and forest dwelling Pokemon love you see, but recently there have been…problems…"

Sayo realized what he meant by 'problems'. She felt her leg flinch in pain as she thought back to the scene of all the bug Pokemon fighting amongst each other. The Ariados and the Vespiquen, both of them fiendishly strong as their poison stings collided with one another…the thought was hard to forget.

"So I've been plumb out of luck. Business has sunk a lot without any honey to sell so I've just been shacked up here looking for a strong trainer to maybe find some way to get me at least a little honey so I could make it by the next few days, or maybe even quell that storm going on in that forest" The old man continued.

 _"A strong trainer…"_ Sayo thought as she bit her lip. She looked down at Cherubi, who's stomach growled. She hadn't eaten a serious amount of honey in days, and now it looked like she was leaving the forest forever without tasting that particular honey again

"I can do it!" The purple haired girl remarked. The old man raised an eye.

"Really girly?" He said "Well that there Cherubi is a grass type…weak to bug, poison, and flying. All of those darn Bug Pokemon that are fighting will beat the living crud outta her if you try going in there"

Sayo sweatdropped. She honestly didn't know much about type matchups. The most she had seen of Pokemon battles was on TV and even though she didn't understand a lot of them, she loved just watching the powerful Pokemon clashing over and over on the big screen. It beat out any cartoons she had ever watched.

"How long have you been a trainer miss…" The old man asked.

"Sayo. Sayo Hibikio" She introduced "And uh…since…last night"

The old man laughed.

"Since last night? That there Cherubi was your first? Well slap my knee…You shouldn't go then. I appreciate your desire to help but you'd get darn well crushed in there!" He said.

Sayo blushed and looked away. She looked towards the forest and then back at the old man.

"I can do it. I have Cherubi and she knows that forest pretty well…right?" She said as she looked at the pink Cherry Pokemon. She shuffled in her trainer's arm and looked back at the old man, determined.

"Erk well I don't feel right sending you off to do something so dangerous…" The old man said as he sweat-dropped. Truthfully, lots of trainers had come by over the past few days but many of them had just either ignored his stand or thought that it wasn't their business and just had brushed by after hearing him ramble. Sayo was the first person who had actually offered to help. But she was inexperienced, and if she got hurt, he would be liable.

Sayo suddenly swiped the jar off the table. She turned and ran off towards the forest before the old man could say anything. She had made up her mind.

"Cherubi…I don't know what's going to happen in there but we have to save your home! I can't just take you away with you thinking everything went to you know well…trash" Sayo said as she ran, wobbling a bit as the weight shifted on her leg.

"Bi…" Cherubi chirped up as they ran out of town towards the hilltop.

 **…**

Spinarak had rejoined his herd, but there were many more places he would rather be. In fact, anywhere would do rather than be here. It was madness.

Several forest Pokemon such as Teddiursa, Budew, Pidgeotto, and many more were now captives of the Ariados and the other Spinarak. All of the forest Pokemon were hanging, wrapped in large white cocoons of silk from tree branches. They watched helplessly as Vespiquen sat on a tree, injured and unable to fly. The Combee were all scattered around, weak and unable to move.

Cherubi's friend Spinarak wanted to slip away so bad. It was a miracle that he wasn't spotted helping Cherubi and Sayo escape yesterday, the others being too focused on the battle to note his involvement properly. Still, Ariados wanted the forest to be his and he couldn't argue. The evolved Pokemon was strong.

"Aria!" The large spider said in triumph as he turned to Vespiquen, who had an arm over her shoulder. She was bruised, having taken several direct shots from Ariados's Sucker Punch attacks and Shadow Sneaks. She spat angrily in its face, unable to fire a proper attack.

"Cherub…" Spinarak heard a voice from behind. He turned around, surprised to see Cherubi standing at Sayo's feet. Tears filled the String Spit Pokemon's eyes as he skittered through the bush to meet the two fo them.

"Spina! Spinarak!" The spider Pokemon explained in a panic to Cherubi. Sayo looked through the cracks in the bushes and the forest inhabitants that were captured. Loose strings coated a majority of the trees from the battle that had happened prior.

Cherubi wished she could tell Sayo exactly what was happening, which was frustrating, because it was scary. Ariados wanted not only to take over the forest but to also enslave the Combee as their new leader, making all the honey in the forest for himself and the Spinarak. The ecosystem of the forest would collapse and the spider Pokemon would have it all to themselves as more of its inhabitants that relied on the honey fled.

"Man…this looks like some kind of voodoo sacrifice ritual or something from those old comic books…" Sayo muttered. Cherubi turned to her "What is it Cherubi? Do you have an idea? We can't fire recklessly or anything…That almost got us killed!"

Cherubi motioned to Vespiquen, who wasn't moving as Ariados walked away from her towards the Spinarak, all lined up in position like an army.

"You think we could convince Vespiquen to help us? They couldn't beat Ariados yesterday and now she's in horrible shape…" Sayo said. Cherubi shook her head and motioned to Spinarak. Spinarak skittered over and drew something in the ground. Sayo raised an eye. It looked like a really rough drawing of a jar "Honey?"

The two Pokemon nodded.

"But isn't there none left?" Sayo asked "How would we get any honey to help nurse Vespiquen to full health?"

Cherubi pointed towards a nearby tree. With the commotion from before, all of the Combee and the Spinarak in the forest had been knocked out, therefore meaning it was smooth sailing for a Pokemon, or a person, to climb the tree to grab honey.

"Oh I get it! You can get the honey off the tree!" Sayo said as she looked up at the tree Cherubi was motioning too. Sayo reached into her vest pocket, where she pulled out the jar she had swiped from the stall. Walking up towards the tree, her leg suddenly began to tingle, causing her to lose her balance slightly and fall against the tall tree.

Ariados's feelers perked up as it looked around. One of the trees had shook. Was something happening around it? The Spinarak all paused and looked away, towards Sayo's direction, however all they saw was the shy Spinarak that was Cherubi's friend crawl out of the bush, looking nervously as Sayo ducked down behind the bushes in the nick of time.

"Crap…I can't get up there to get the honey…I can climb that tree no issue if my leg wasn't all screwed up!" The purple haired girl cursed as she dropped the jar in the grass.

Cherubi huffed and took the rim in her mouth. It wasn't an extremely heavy jar so it didn't impair her movement that much. She looked at her trainer and back at the swarm of bug Pokemon before making a large leap upwards to the closet branch, using her stem to catch herself on it. Sayo gasped and looked up as she watched her Pokemon climb higher and higher, leaping from branch to branch.

The disturbance didn't go unnoticed as one Spinarak turned towards the tree, gasping and turning to its brethren as Cherubi reached the honey. Cherubi's friend gasped and dashed into the bush, waving his arms frantically at Sayo and tried to nudge her.

"Whats wrong? Did we make too much noise?" She gasped.

Ariados turned towards the tree and suddenly fired out a volley of poison needles, causing an explosion on one of the branches as the sharp venomous spikes pierced the branch. It cracked and Cherubi gasped, having jumped barely out of the way of the attack as she felt many pairs of bug type eyes staring at her. She pushed the jar up against the tree to get a small sample of the honey inside just as dozens of string shot attacks fired.

"Quick! Cut them!" Sayo yelled. She winced _"Crap…I don't know any of Cherubi's attacks! There was that colorful Razor Leaf…That's one I know but it didn't look like it!"_

"Rainbow Leaf!" The purple haired girl yelled.

Cherubi sweatdropped hearing the attack be called. It was a Magical Leaf attack, but there was no way she could know. Nonetheless Cherubi understood and swiped with her ball, causing a volley of pointed razor sharp leaves flashing with brilliant rainbow colors to slice through the tough strings. Ariados raised an eye as Vespiquen winced, struggling to get up as Cherubi landed at the base of the tree. Sayo grabbed the jar, about a cup's worth of honey having been scooped inside, the gooey golden substance dripping along the rim where it was pressed up to the tree.

"Great work Cherubi!" Sayo said before a second volley of Poison Sting shot past her, barely missing "Wah!"

"Ariado!" The spider Pokemon groaned as it lunged towards them. Spinarak suddenly leapt up, swinged his body towards his leader, effortlessly being knocked aside by the brunt of the Sucker Punch attack.

Ariados looked confused as Spinarak was knocked into the tree, trying to get up, his body bruised from the one attack.

"Spina…" he winced.

"Dos…" The much larger Pokemon said back as he turned his attention to his comrade that had just protected the intruding human.

Sayo quietly began to inch away, the pain in her leg subsiding for a time as she broke out into a dash, running towards Vespiquen with the jar. Some of the Combee were beginning to stir as Ariados whirled around, pointing with one of its front legs towards Sayo. The Spinarak all on command fired Poison Sting attacks towards Sayo.

"NO!" She gasped and shut her eyes as she ducked down, a crash being heard in the air as her eyes opened, her body on the ground with the jar protected, some of the honey spilled out in front of her, right at Vespiquen's feet. Cherubi gasped for breath as the Magical Leaf she had fired had intercepted the weaker poison stings. Ariados growled and stared at Cherubi.

"Vespiquen…We wanted to get you some honey to help you…" Sayo grunted as she struggled to her feet, her elbows and knees covered in grass stains as the Spinarak all turned towards the traitor and Cherubi "Please…help our friends…You guys can do this!"

It was as if the sight of the human risking her life to help them gave more and more of the Combee strength. Vespiquen reached a hand down and took some of the honey from the jar, licking it. Her eyes widened.

"Ves…" She muttered as her wings began to flap. She began to float, causing Sayo's eyes to widen. The Combee began to all rise up too, battered and bruised but the strength of their leader and the human encouraged them.

"Quen!" Vespiquen commanded as Ariados lunged towards Cherubi.

"Combee!" The bees all yelled as a powerful gust whipped through the area, knocking all of the Spinarak aside, the surprise attack causing Ariados to stop seconds away from Combee and gasp as the super effective hit effortlessly knocked aside the Combee. Vespiquen glared at Ariados as it glanced back towards Cherubi, paying her no mind as she hopped over to Spinarak.

"Aria…" The spider growled as a volley of needles shot from his body, piercing through the air at lightning fast speed.

"Vespiquen!" The large bee growled back as she fired a large glowing orb of energy, a power gem attack towards the poison needles. Ariados looked shocked as it effortlessly overpowered the needles. The sneak attacks it had been using previously were very ineffective now in direct combat. The spider Pokemon screamed as the orb smashed into it, slamming the spider into a tree with a devastating crash. Sayo looked shocked at how much strength that honey seemed to have given Vespiquen.

The Combee all angrily looked towards Ariados as Vespiquen left Sayo, floating towards her fallen opponent.

"Spina!" She heard as a lowly Pokemon walked up. She looked down, seeing an injured Spinarak in front of Ariados, tears in his eyes "Rak!"

"Spinarak?" Sayo said, surprised as she got up, walking towards the two leaders of the bug clans. The Spinarak all looked at the Combee as they surrounded the area, Sayo approaching Cherubi and scooping her up in her arms as Spinarak talked to Ariados and Vespiquen.

Vespiquen looked lost in thought as Ariados looked away, almost ashamed. Both Pokemon looked at Spinarak and then back at each other.

"Cherubi!" Cherubi said as she and Sayo walked towards them.

The purple haired girl began to understand the situation. Spinarak had clearly been opposed to the fighting all along and was trying to get the two bug types to get along and make peace, which Cherubi was also clearly in favor of.

"You two are both strong leaders…Can't this forest belong to all of you guys? Lots of Pokemon live here in peace and they need the honey to eat…Can you think of how much trouble all this fighting has probably put the other Pokemon in?" Sayo said with a frown to both of the larger bug types.

Ariados sighed and looked at Spinarak, and then turned its head towards Vespiquen, glaring but then softening its gaze to an apologetic looking one. Slowly, the spider got up and walked over to the floating Vespiquen, both Pokemon weakened from their battle but nodded slowly at one another.

"Awesome!" Sayo said with a whoop of joy. Cherubi smiled down at Spinarak, who let out a small sigh of relief before nodding at Sayo, Vespiquen shaking Ariados's feelers lightly. The queen bee looked down and noticed something, the Cherubi was spitting out a stream of silk, grabbing something. Sayo turned her head to see what it was before laughing. It was the jar that she had come back to fill up. Spinarak pulled the string back and brought the jar over. Sayo knelt down and picked it up before handing it to Vespiquen.

"If it's not too much trouble Vespiquen, there's an old man who makes his living on you and your Combee's honey…It's not just Pokemon that rely on your work, humans do as well!" She explained "If it wouldn't be too much trouble for you to give us a little? Otherwise I understand"

Vespiquen looked down at the jar and back at Cherubi. She recognized that energetic grass type, usually coming around their hive for a snack of their golden sweet glue. She smiled and turned around, messing with the jar briefly before floating up to Sayo, handing her the jar, now completely filled to the brim with honey.

"Thank you!" Sayo cried out as she took it. Cherubi looked happily at her forest friends before nuzzling Sayo's chest "You were great too Cherubi! We should get this back to that old man before he thinks something is wrong and we got hurt!"

With that, Trainer and Pokemon turned on their heels, waving towards Vespiquen and Ariados, along with the rest of the Combee and Spinarak as they vanished into the trees and headed back towards the town from whence they came from.

 **…**

"I can't believe it!" The old man laughed as he put the jar on the table "You actually were able to get a full jar!"

"Yep!" Sayo remarked happily, hugging Cherubi "It was all because of her quick thinking!"

"That's a good eye you got there…" The man replied as he pushed the jar towards Sayo "Your Pokemon and you identified the solution together and solved it with ease. You sure know how to pick a Pokemon"

"Well I wouldn't say I thought that deeply into it…" Sayo said, scratching the back of her head.

"Nonsense!" the old man laughed again as he put a wad of bills on the table "I haven't seen you around here before but seeing as you just became a trainer, take that honey you got and some bills. If everything is all right in that forest again it will be no trouble at all for me to get more. Take these for your troubles!"

Sayo looked surprised at the man's generosity.

"But still…didn't you really need it?" She asked.

"You have the makings of a great Pokemon trainer miss. You dove head first into a situation with the thought of only helping me and you went along having confidence in your Pokemon. That kind of fearless attitude is one I see in very few trainers these days and it's a very good quality for them to have. You needn't worry about an old timer like me" The old man insisted.

Cherubi looked at the jar, her stomach growling as Sayo took it. The old man knelt down below his stall and pulled something else out, a leather pack.

"Take this too. You'll need a bag to carry things in! No Pokemon trainer can run around with pockets that light" The man said.

"Are you absolutely sure!? I can't take your money and products and a gift…It was just honey!" Sayo said, surprised and unsure.

"let me tell you something kiddo, when I was young, I was a Pokemon trainer who went on a wonderful journey. I saw things and places that I never would have imagined! But now at this old age, I don't do much except sell products to wandering trainers. You seem…different. Your attitude and kind heart are one I can't overlook. And if there's one thing you'll realize when you're my age is that you can spot the good qualities and nurture those qualities to their full potential" The old man said as he wiped his brow "So please, take this bag. It served me well on my Pokemon Journey, and I'm sure it will serve you as well as it did me"

The violet haired girl didn't know what to say. The old man's kindness and generosity was something she wasn't used to.

"Sayo right?" the old man said, snapping her out of her train of thought.

"Yes sir!" Sayo gasped.

"You will become a great trainer. Just remember that being a good trainer doesn't mean having strong Pokemon, but rather how much love and care you give them. That will make them strong on their own, the stronger their bond is with you" He nodded "Never forget those words, Sayo"

She nodded before slowly sliding the honey into her backpack, watching as she took out Cherubi's ball, recalling the cherry Pokemon before looking at it.

"That's quite an old Pokeball" The old man said as he admired the dusty splotched ball "A heal ball right?"

"Yeah…My dad gave it to me before he um…" Sayo said darkly, her face turning somber.

"I understand. That ball holds a lot of memories for you didn't it?" The old man said with a smile "Cherish them along with your Pokemon and you'll go far"

Sayo nodded as she attached the ball to her belt.

"One more thing. There's a Pokemon Center on the edge of town here. Go to it and register as an official pokemon trainer. They will supply you with Pokeballs and you'll be able to go and catch more Pokemon. Take those thoughts you cherish and show the same kindness to those Pokemon that you showed to me in my time of need, and the forest's" The man explained.

"I will sir. Thank you so much for all your help and all the advice! I promise I'll be a great Pokemon trainer and make sure this bag has an adventure even better than it had when you were a kid!" She chuckled "Although I doubt someone at your age couldn't have seen everything already!"

The old man laughed at that statement. He pulled something out of his pocket, a slip of paper.

"The world is vast and its discoveries are many. Now go Sayo. Go onwards and find your calling" he said, handing her a slip of paper. She looked at it. All that was written on it was scribble, that said, show to Nurse.

Sayo nodded, turned on her heal, the pink Pokeball on her belt jingling as she adjusted the large strap, carefully touching the worn brown leather before looking back at the old man, waving, and walking towards the Pokemon Center in the middle of the day.

The old man waited until she was out of sight to take out a notebook, a pen in the spiral. He took it out and wrote something down on the pages, which were filled with quotes, names, scribbles, and phone numbers.

 _Sayo Hibikio_

He closed it and slipped the pen back into its regular spot.

 _"That girl…She had his eyes…Is she really your daughter Hal?"_ He thought to himself as he shut his eyes

 **…**

The nurse at the front of the Pokemon Center treated her with a very warm smile and big pink eyes. She nodded and took Sayo's Cherubi along with some of the bills the old man had given her. When she pulled out the slip of paper, the nurse paused, looking at it before looking at Sayo.

"Did you get this from the old salesman down the street?" She asked, looking at the handwriting.

"Um yeah…Come to think of it I didn't get his name or anything either…" She said, sheepishly scratching her head.

"Well actually, none of us in this town know who he is. He showed up here a while ago but never said his name. We all call him Windy since he seemed to come here on a lonely wind. But if he sent you…" The nurse muttered. She took the paper and tossed it over her shoulder "He must have faith that you'll be a good trainer. Normally I'd need some paperwork and an ID but…I suppose we can just take a picture right now and register you fresh."

The nurse looked down at the computer she was in front of and began typing. Sayo smiled as the Pokemon next to the nurse, a large round Pink Pokemon with an egg in a small pouch located on its stomach walked up with a camera, snapping a nice picture of the violet haired girl's face.

"There we go Sayo! You're all ready to go…here's your trainer ID and 5 Pokeballs!" The nurse said as a small card printed from the back of the computer. She reached down and took out a set of Pokeballs from underneath the counter. Sayo eagerly gathered the supplies before bowing.

"Thank you so much for all your help Nurse…" She asked.

"Joy. All of the nurses who run these Pokemon Centers are named Joy" the nurse said "Just talk to one of us if you're ever around a Pokemon Center and we'll make sure your Pokemon get into tip top shape by the next day at most! We're professionals after all"

It was still relatively early, the middle of the day to be exact. Sayo felt her stomach growling. Come to think of it, she hadn't had a real big meal in days. Her constant running only allowing her to eat berries and nuts she found on the roadsides and forests.

"Is there a place that I can go eat?" She asked the nurse.

"We have a restaurant. It's free of charge so don't worry about overeating. You trainers need your energy for all that time you spend on the road" Joy explained back to her.

Hearing the words, free, and food, in the same sentence must have triggered something inside Sayo, because in her entire life, she had never moved so fast. She bolted out of the main lobby of the Pokemon Center towards the restaurant, ready to reward herself and Cherubi with a hard earned meal.

 **…**

 ** _Cherubi: Cheruuuu_**

 ** _Sayo: I'm starved! Time to eat up and then get going! We have to get ourselves some new friends! Wait…who's this rude girl?_**

 ** _?: You bumped into me without paying attention to where you were going! I'll teach you a thing or two…_**

 ** _Sayo: Wait! I've never actually battled before!_**

 **Next Time:**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Victory and Defeat! Sayo's First Pokemon Battle!**


End file.
